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Did I see somewhere in another post where you guys (Texas) have a "Printing Clause" in the carry laws?

Here in Florida I dont worry to much about printing. I dont do it intentionally, but most people are oblivious and will never notice anyway.

Thanks.

The offense in Texas is for "intentional failure to conceal". There is no problem with printing.

Crossfire wrote:The offense in Texas is for "intentional failure to conceal". There is no problem with printing.

Unless you're outed, and the LEO's overreact.

We do not have a "printing clause." We do have a clause about intentional failure to conceal. You're not going to get arrested if the wind blows your shirt open and exposes your gun, as long as you cover it back up as soon as you discover the exposure. There is no way for an observer, in 99% of the cases, to know if that shape under your shirt is a gun or a PDA or an insulin pump. Most of us don't worry about printing, and the issue is usually confined to people who are new to carrying and who still feel like everyone can tell they are armed.

I would think the printing would only be an issue in a case of improper signage when we carry anyway. Then printing could have you evicted or taking a ride. As always, check your concealment method.

So if i decided to use an OWB holster, and printing does occur, do i need to be worried about violating the law? I would try my best to eliminate the printing issue but its one of those what-if situations.

cubbyjg wrote:So if i decided to use an OWB holster, and printing does occur, do i need to be worried about violating the law? I would try my best to eliminate the printing issue but its one of those what-if situations.

Put it on, cover it, forget about it.

No matter what you do, you WILL print sometimes; it's just that no observer is going to notice you're printing, or if he notices, he won't have any informed idea of what the object causing the printing is. You'll find soon enough that you just won't worry about it too much.

Thanks alot. I will look into some OWB holsters to compliment my smartcarry one. Printing and getting in trouble was the main reason why i wasnt looking at these types of holsters.

cubbyjg wrote:Thanks alot. I will look into some OWB holsters to compliment my smartcarry one. Printing and getting in trouble was the main reason why i wasnt looking at these types of holsters.

I think you'll find that the vast majority of us carry with some kind of either IWB or OWB holster rather than alternatives like the Smart Carry.

I also use a shoulder holster with some degree of regularity.

I am currently using a slider holster (owb but the belt goes through loops on the outside of the holster). I had been wearing the gun at 4:00 but recently started wearing at 3:00. I was concerned about what I considered to be a visible bulge (printing). A friend of mine who also has a CHL asked me Sunday at church how I liked wearing my gun at 4:00 (the first time I showed him the holster I was still wearing at 4:00). I told him I had moved it to 3:00. He was shocked. Said he never would have known it was there.

Just goes to show that what we see in the mirror may not even be visible to other CHL's. I think the only way printing would ever become an issue is if you tried to wear your gun under spandex.

A patterned shirt will conceal anything. Just make sure your shirt has some sort of pattern and you can carry a full sized desert eagle and not have a problem.

There is also no law about not telling a non-LEO the full truth. Amazingly enough the only time I have ever been asked about printing it was my cell phone that they were asking about. Some say carry a cell phone in a pocket but to me it gives an handy excuse when I have on an untucked shirt.

TDDude wrote:A patterned shirt will conceal anything. Just make sure your shirt has some sort of pattern and you can carry a full sized desert eagle and not have a problem.

The whole concept of camouflage is to "break up" shapes. In my case a Bullard Undercover under a dark colored t-shirt works well...to the point that my wife (who is well aware of my carry habits) asked if I had it on the other day. My first response was, "Why?!?" thinking she had noticed something I hadn't. She assured me she was just curious because she hadn't noticed. And I'm a fat boy.

TDDude wrote:A patterned shirt will conceal anything. Just make sure your shirt has some sort of pattern and you can carry a full sized desert eagle and not have a problem.

AND, make sure you size your clothing based on your actual size, not what you thought you could rock 25 years ago.

Yes, I do have some direct personal experience when it comes to exchanging a narrow waist and broad mind.

The Annoyed Man wrote:We do not have a "printing clause." We do have a clause about intentional failure to conceal. You're not going to get arrested if the wind blows your shirt open and exposes your gun, as long as you cover it back up as soon as you discover the exposure. There is no way for an observer, in 99% of the cases, to know if that shape under your shirt is a gun or a PDA or an insulin pump. Most of us don't worry about printing, and the issue is usually confined to people who are new to carrying and who still feel like everyone can tell they are armed.

How quickly we forget Handog's ordeal in the cuffed and stuffed thread. He was not only arrested, but he was taken down at gun point by eight cops for printing, and just for grins they tag him for having his shirt blow up in the wind while they're arresting him! Don't kid yourself. You can be arrested.